I’ll have one of everything please
Sunday, October 2nd: Crete, Greece
After about a week on Crete, and spending most of our time exploring new beaches, we were getting ready for a change of scenery. However, that didn’t stop us from ticking a few most sandy spots off our list. We took a drive to the far west side of the island to Elafonissi beach, where there were the famous pink sands. It was extremely windy with white caps breaking the lagoon waters. We secured a set of chairs and umbrella for the afternoon where a gust of wind would hurl sand flecks at us every now and again. We weren’t compelled to take a dip, but we waded through the water to reach a small island about a hundred yards from shore.
After we had enough sun for the day, we packed up and made our way back toward Kissmos / Chania for dinner. We forgot to bring Matt an extra pair of shorts, so we let them air dry. Eager to stop for honey at a farm stand, Matt wandered into the road in his underwear while Liz was preoccupied petting the pony.
Right near the entrance road to Balos was a narrow street with a few tavernas tucked on either side that we passed several days prior. Christina had marked up the menu for Gramvousa with all of her favorite local Cretan dishes, so we had to give it a try. The entrance looked like a hobbit hole door made by an ancient Chinese craftsman. We sat on the terrace that had a view of the water and their grounds where they grew fresh fruits and vegetables in a farm-to-table style. There were the usual stray cats wandering around and a dog that looked like he needed to gain a few pounds, but was not interested in the lamb grisle we offered later in the evening. They welcomed us with a small glass jar of rusks, basil, dried olives, tomato and cucumber. We ordered almost everything she recommended, which made for a feast and gave the waitress a mild laugh: grilled feta (which was really baked in phyllo dough until perfectly golden and crispy), the Patriko salad (similar to a Greek salad, but with gaviera cheese, and grilled vegetables), tempura fried vegetables, sample of various kalitsounia, gramboussian lamb and pork bites. Everything was delicious.On the way out, we regretted not ordering dessert.
Accommodations: AirB&B, Loutra, Crete, Greece
